The Bard Knows Your Name

Take care, o' good gentle, to speak not too loud
Nor play you the fool in front of a crowd
For such things may earn you much unwanted fame
For remember this well: the bard knows your name

The bard may seem gentle and mirthful and mild
His delight in his song makes him seem like a child
But this mask can conceal a quite rapier-like wit
Which may bite you, should you fall victim to it

Now the bard loves his jest, and naught pleases him more
Than to let the wind out of some inflated bore
But he chooses his subjects with infinite care
And seeks only ones who deserve to be snared

He will wrap his critiquing in rhyme and in song
'Til the one that he targets thinks nothing is wrong
And they'll laugh with the rest, fairly chortle with glee
Only later to stop and say, "Hey, that was me!"

He sings praises of beggars and kings celebrates
Unless they should prove that his praise they don't rate
He'll write verses of history, the great and the small
So take care how you act, for the bard sees it all

But he's not a buffoon, nor is he a cad
He never would wantonly make good folk seem bad
Still, even good folk may appear in his puns
And they'll laugh at themselves, for it's all in good fun

You may wind up in song, then, whatever you do
But how you appear there is all up to you
How you act in your life, in the story the same
So take care what you do, for the bard knows your name